Visitation to one of Summit County’s most popular hiking areas has flattened since the pandemic-era highs of 2020, new data shows. 

Recreation at McCullough Gulch and Quandary Peak trails, both south of Breckenridge, was down in 2023 compared to 2020, on average. However, visitation still exceeded 2021 and 2022 levels a few times this year. 

In 2020, Quandary Peak saw 49,179 hiker days, according to data from the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, making it the most visited 14er in the state, though recreation has since decreased for many Colorado mountains.  

Data presented during a Dec. 5 Summit Board of County Commissioners meeting by county open space officials shows that between early June and late August this year, visitation at Quandary was significantly higher compared to that same time in 2022 but mostly below 2021, 2020 and 2019. 

From early June to late July, visitation at McCullough Gulch largely followed that trend. However, in August and through September, visitation jumped above 2022 and 2021 levels while it dropped for Quandary. 

The findings come after county officials implemented changes this summer to the shuttle and parking systems that provide access to both McCullough Gulch and Quandary Peak trailheads. 

Parking reservations increased by $5, costing $50 on peak days (Fridays through Sundays and holidays) and $30 for non-peak days (Mondays through Thursdays excluding holidays). At the same time, officials made a shuttle between Breckenridge and the trails free for residents and $7 for non-residents, down from $15 last year. Overall, officials recorded an 11% increase in parking reservations and a 20% increase in shuttle use this summer over last year. 

“Similar to the last two years, visitors are more happy with the shuttle system than the parking,” said Allison Morton, a Summit County Open Space and Trails resource specialist. 

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A county survey found that while 85% of visitors said they would recommend the shuttle system, 60% said they would not recommend parking reservations, with Morton adding some felt it created “a barrier for people wanting to access the national forest.”

Only 6% of respondents said they were Summit County residents, and 90% said it was either their first time visiting or that they had visited fewer than once per year, Morton said. 

“We do recommend continuing ways to provide free access to local residents,” Morton said, such as through initiatives like offering free parking passes through the Summit County Library as well as allowing free parking on a first-come-first-serve basis at the trails after 3 p.m.

The latter, Morton said, “offers locals the ability to hike after work,” especially for McCullough Gulch. Access can be difficult after the shuttle stops running, however, which is why officials said the county may want to consider additional parking or shuttle service specifically for McCullough.

Parking revenue was up significantly this summer, helping to offset the cost of running the shuttle for free for residents and lowering the county’s overall subsidy by more than $135,000, according to Open Space and Trails Director Katherine King. 

“I think these are all pretty positive signs for the shuttle system,” King said. 

Commissioner Nina Waters said she was encouraged to see increased use of the shuttle system, adding, “I equate that to how many cars are off the roads.” 

Finding ways to further promote shuttle use for visitors will help both alleviate parking stressors and help the environment, Waters said. 

Open space officials said while there are tweaks that could be made to the system in the future, they also wanted to see how the area may be impacted by the newly formed Camp Hale National Monument, which straddles more than 53,000 acres of White River National Forest Service Land in Summit and Eagle counties and is not far from Quandary Peak.